UNITED STATES LOOKING INTO GROWING JELLYFISH THREAT

July 1 2009

Washington, D.C. – There are few animals in the world that grab the imagination and sense of awe than does the jellyfish. One of the most mysterious of sea animals, the jellyfish by its name and its body has an almost primordial effect on the human
psyche.The almost alien looking animals are still largely a mystery to science and still grab the attention and sense of wonder from people both young and old.

That sentiment though has governments across the world concerned as studies of jellyfish populations dramatically increase. From the south East Asia to the Black Sea to the Gulf of Mexico to the North Sea populations of Nomura jellyfish, which can grow up to 2 metres in diameter and weigh 200 kilograms, have been taking over. Clogging the seas and threatening sea wildlife across the globe, the giant jellyfish have become both an ecological and economic disaster in the making and governments are starting to take notice.

“We need to take management action to avert the marine systems of the world flipping over to being jellyfish dominated,’ said Dr. Anthony Richardson of the University of Queensland. “Some researchers are experimenting with different ways of controlling jellyfish, including using sound waves to explode jellyfish and using special nets to try and cut them up.”

Among the concerns is the fact that jellyfish larvae feed on fish eggs, grown jellyfish compete with fish for plankton, and many of the giant jellyfish are bursting fishing nets.

“We’ve started looking at the jellyfish problem and we are keeping a very close eye on it. We are deeply concerned about the developments especially in the Gulf of Mexico,” said a spokesperson for the Obama administration. “Anytime there is a major threat so close to the United States we are obligated to investigate and keep watch on this developing situation.”

Reportedly the U.S. Government is contemplating military action against the growing jellyfish threat but have stopped short of committing troops as yet.

“It’s a difficult task for the Obama government. They have two major conflicts, the economic crisis, and the continuing problem of Iran and North Korea and now they have to deal with this. Luckily many other governments from around the world have recognized the threat posed here and are committing to at least aid in solving the problem. True the United States will likely take on the brunt of the work, but at least others are helping,” said Scrape TV High Seas analyst Ricardo Fuentes. “Aside from the obvious concerns regarding economic stability both in the U.S. and vulnerable economies around the world, there is a very distinct possibility that this is related to things like piracy and terrorism. Unleashing massive amounts of jellyfish to unsettle and already unsettled economy would be nearly untraceable and just the kind of things terrorists are likely to do.”

There has been no evidence as yet that organizations such as Al Qaeda are directly involved in the growing jellyfish population but marine biologists have pointed to the sudden and exponential growth as ‘suspicious’.

“The edict of terrorist organizations has been to spend other people’s money. Whether it’s done through direct attacks or indirect incidents that draw attention they are causing chaos and that furthers their cause,” continued Fuentes. “Al Qaeda has never been shown to have a navy but this could be a new and dangerous change in the war on terror. Even if it isn’t, these jellyfish are a serious threat and must be dealt with appropriately.”

Much like terrorist cells, jellyfish organization is believed to be decentralized with cells acting independently.